1870 Half Dime.

Any thoughts on the look of the fields on the reverse?
PCGS gave it AU-53, many years ago.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Scratched up.

 

Some scratches, but I like the toning

 

Beautiful coin perhaps a little generous on the grade.

 

I agree. Even accounting for the soft strike, that seems high. I like it best at 45, but a 50 would not be out of place if the luster is as strong as it seems.

As for the look of the reverse, Larry - this is your classic example of a coin which circulated, saw some where and tear, and then got put away. Sometime a few decades ago, somebody dipped it white, and then put it in an envelope or album and left it there for a good long time. The toning is classic "retoning after a very old dip" - but that sort of toning is never going to replace the original skin in the center of the fields that was stripped away to leave a white area.

It is considered perfectly acceptable, and will sell for a large premium due to the attractive toning (blues are always in high demand!)

This has retoned in a more pleasing way than the 1885 Dime you showed earlier today.

 

If all or most of those marks are raised, the grade is possible. If they are into the coin, I think you got a gift grade. Graders can be tougher on small coins that large ones, like silver dollars because of the bag mark issues.

 

I was in at 45 but I didn't want to p*** on anyones coin. Overall the toning makes this one a charmer.

 

I’d be thrilled with a grade like that on this coin.

 

I bought it from Cosmic just before he went away.

 

oh, now there's a blast from the past! I haven't thought about kryptonite in a long time. How much longer is he on the inside? Anyone know?

 

Pretty but I think 50 would be a better grade. Too bad it doesn’t have an s mintmark

 

I'm thinking he got 12 to 15. With good behavior he could be getting out anytime. I like the guy and hope he comes back to the hobby.

 

Unfortunately, the couple of years before he got arrested he went down in a spiral, burned a lot of people, burned a lot of bridges, and cost a lot of people a lot of money. Time heals a lot of wounds, but you've also got a lot of people with a long memory that won't deal with him again. I always had good deals with him, but a lot of people didn't.

 

I need to dig the coin out and take a better look. I think most of the marks are into the surface but it's been a long time. It seems strange for the reverse to have so many more marks than the reverse.

 

The obverse has quite a few marks as well. They are just hidden under the toning and harder to see. The reverse has wide open fields at the center, so the marks are more obvious.

 

I forgot that part of things. It may be tough for him to come back.